Inspecting and Repairing Your Gutters

Have you notice rain water pouring over the top of or from behind your gutters during a rainstorm? If so, you may have a clogged gutter or one that has pulled loose from the eave of your house. Clogged, sagging or loose gutters can cause a tremendous amount of damage to your home if not corrected. And this is one problem that is easy and fairly cheap to repair.

It is a good idea to inspect your gutters routinely. You can do this on a sunny day if you like, however you will have to actually climb a ladder and keep moving it all around the house to check it completely. It's much easier to spot a problem on a rainy day. Simply grab an umbrella or a hooded raincoat and take a walk around your house. Look for any signs that the water is overflowing the gutter or cascading down behind the gutter. Stop at each corner of the house and check the downspouts. There should be no overflow here either.

If you see any problems during your inspection, you need to try to figure out what is causing it. Make a note of the spot and as soon as it is dry, check it out. Of course, common sense says to not attempt to climb a ladder during a rainstorm, especially if it is lightning. Any repairs needed can wait for the next sunny day.

Once that sunny day has arrived, repeat your walk around your home. At the noted spot of any problem, visually check out the area from the ground. Has the gutter pulled loose from the house? Does it appear to sag? If it looks fine from the ground, it's time to do an aerial inspection. As always, when using a ladder, be careful and keep it away from any power lines. Your ladder should extend at least one rung and even better, two rungs past the top of the roof. Carefully climb up and visually inspect the inside of your gutter. Don't be surprised to find it full of dirt and leaves. Look down the length of the gutter. Do any gutter nails or screws appear crooked or pulled out?

If your gutter is full of leaves you will need to clean it out. Wear rubber gloves since the leaves will be slimy and scoop the leaves out. It is much better to remove them by hand than to try to wash them down the length of the gutter into the downspout. If you do that, you may only create a much bigger problem, a clogged downspout. Once the leaves are out, then you can wash the gutter out. Many homeowners who have large trees close to their homes have opted to install gutter screens. These covers have holes approximately a quarter in round in them which allows the water to enter the gutter yet keeps the leaves out. These covers can sometimes end up being a problem themselves as the leaves pile up on top of them and stop up the holes. However, you can take a water hose and wash the leaves off the screens.

If the gutter has pulled loose from the house, you may have to replace some of the gutter nails or gutter screws. These are special screws, seven inches in length, with a five inch ferrule or plastic tube. The plastic ferrule fits inside the gutter near the top edges. The screw goes through the outside top lip of the gutter, through the ferrule, and on through the back of the gutter into the eave of the house. The ferrule acts a brace and a guide to prevent you from tightening the screw too much.

Occasionally you can simply re-tighten the screws or nail loose nails back in and your problem will be solved for a while. Keep in mind though, that once that nail or screw has loosened up, it will likely do it again. You may have to put a new screw back in slightly to the left or right of the old one.

Most homes today have continuous gutters. This is one piece guttering cut the length of each side of your house. It is measured and formed and cut on location. Older homes may still have old fashion gutters which was simply sections joined together. Sometimes these sections may pull apart. If this happens, simply pull the pieces back together and secure them with a small metal screw. You can caulk these joints for extra leak protection.

Remember, the next time it rains, take a walk in the rain and check out those gutters. They really are there for a very important reason. They protect not only the walls of your home, but also the foundation by directing water away from it.